


Smoke and Fire

by TheMightyFlynn



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Bittersweet, F/M, HP: EWE, Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-04
Updated: 2017-06-04
Packaged: 2018-11-09 02:11:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11094729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMightyFlynn/pseuds/TheMightyFlynn
Summary: Blaise stokes a fire in Ginny that no one else has ever been able to.





	Smoke and Fire

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the [hphet](http://hphet.livejournal.com/) mini fest on livejournal.

Smoke burned Ginny’s lungs as she picked her way slowly through the carnage. The remains of Hogwarts lay crumbled around her, still smouldering from the end battle. She wandered aimlessly, following only where it was possible for her to pick a path through the destruction.

It was strange. She knew that she should be feeling _something_. Looking around, she took in the heavy masonry, the shattered glass, the fires that still burned brightly along the halls, but she could muster no reaction to it. This was the place she had spent a large part of her teenage years. She had laughed and cried in these halls, and made friendships that she knew would last a lifetime; this school had been her second home. But there was simply nothing inside her. She was numb.

A small shudder ran through her when she stumbled into the Entrance Hall. To her right stood the double doors to the Great Hall, but she couldn’t bring herself to step back inside. Guilt washed through her at the thought, but she knew that inside that hall, she would only find heartache. So many of her loved ones had been lost and injured that night that she knew she wouldn’t be able to face it all. Not yet, anyway. Turning away, she picked her way through the huge archway that had once held the doors to the school and stepped out into the early morning air.

The smoke was no less thick outdoors, but at least there was a slight breeze attempting to blow it away. Footsteps grabbed her attention and, instead of following her instinct and leaving the person be, she followed them. Across the once green and grassy field she went, not bothering to cover up the sound of her own footsteps. Anyone who was still left at the school had been vetted by the remaining Aurors; if she ran into an enemy here, then that was just bad luck. The footsteps halted just beside what used to be a greenhouse.

“Oh!”

Ginny turned the corner to come face-to-face – well, face-to-chest, really – with Blaise Zabini. She stumbled back a few steps as she gazed up at him. Standing tall and proud as ever, he was a striking figure amongst the destruction. His normally immaculate black clothing was ripped and torn in places, soot covered one of his cheeks, and she could see the edge of a burn mark on his right wrist.

“Weasley.”

His voice was deep and rough, but held none of his usual scorn. Before Ginny could react in any way to him, however, he was reaching for her. Fire licked through her as Zabini dragged her to him, holding her tightly to his chest as their lips connected in a harsh kiss. The numbness she had been feeling ever since the battle ended fled in the face of the burning _need_ she felt radiating from him as her lips parted to allow him entrance. It was over too soon.

“Go back to your _hero_ , Weasley,” he hissed at her before turning, leaving Ginny off-balance in the rubble of the greenhouse.

*~*  


_“If you’re that unhappy with me, Harry, then just_ leave _! Go! It’s not like you’re around that much anyway!”_

Her words echoed through Ginny’s mind as the latest shot of Firewhisky warmed her from the inside. She’d known that her and Harry’s ten-year marriage was on the rocks. Hell, the entire wizarding world knew that, it seemed. What she hadn’t guessed was just how quickly it would come to an end.

_“I’m tired, Gin. Can we do this in the morning?”_

_“I won’t be here, Harry.”_

Well, she hadn’t lied, she figured. Here she was, propping up the Dancing Leprechaun’s bar at three in the morning, drowning her sorrows at the bottom of a bottle of Ogden’s. She stifled a hiccup as she signalled the barkeep for a refill.

“Think maybe you’ve had enough?”

Ginny blinked at the barkeep a few times before realising the voice had come from behind her. She nearly fell from her stool when she turned, but a steady hand in the middle of her back held her in place until the room stopped spinning. She had to squint through the smoke-filled air of the club to see him.

“Zabini.”

“Weasley.”

“Bugger off.”

She turned back to the bar just in time to grasp the new shot and down it in one go. The Firewhisky burned her throat, filling in the cold places that had developed inside her over the years of her marriage.

“I can’t just leave you here. Not like this.”

“’m not your reshpon… repsh… Not yoursh.” She nodded emphatically. “Not _anyone’sh_.”

“No, you’re not.”

Even in her drunken state, Ginny could make out a strange tone to Zabini’s voice. This time when she spun around on the stool, she did fall; straight into his arms. Fire blazed inside her as he held her steady, and it wasn’t from the Firewhisky. She reached up, grasped the front of the soft shirt he wore and pulled him into a sloppy kiss. A deep groan vibrated between them before Zabini pulled back.

“No.” He pulled back further when Ginny reached for him again. “Not when you’re like this. You need to go home.”

*~*  


A breeze fluttered the curtains covering the doors onto the balcony, cooling Ginny’s heated skin. The ballroom Lily and Scorpius had chosen for their reception was beautiful, but for a woman in her early fifties, ventilation was a necessity. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, savouring the breeze on her skin.

“A touch too warm for you, Weasley?”

A wide smile split Ginny’s face as she turned to see Blaise standing in the doorway behind her. The years had treated him well, with the only indication of his true age being the white streaks shooting through his hair, and the small crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiled. And smiling he was as he met her eyes. She stepped forward, drawing him into a tight embrace.

“Blaise–”

“Gin, I–”

They both laughed as they spoke over each other. Having formed a firm friendship over the years, Ginny felt as though Blaise was one of the only people in the world who truly knew her. Standing and staring into his eyes, she saw something strange flitter deep in them.

“Blaise?”

“I’m sorry, Ginny, I…” He sighed. “Come outside?”

The breeze carried the scent of smoke from the outdoor torches, bringing back memories both good and bad. She pushed them aside, though, as soon as Blaise came to a stop at the thick stone railing that overlooked the extensive gardens of the ballroom. Nerves trembled through her when his shoulders slumped.

“What’s wrong?”

It was a few seconds before he replied, and when he did, his voice was low. “I came here tonight with a plan.”

“A plan?”

He nodded. “Yes. There is something I have been meaning to do for a while, but…”

Ginny’s stomach dropped when he paused and hung his head. “You’re scaring me, Blaise.”

“I’m sorry, but I–” He cut himself off with a shake of his head before turning so he faced her, his arms wrapped around him in a protective gesture. “I can’t do this anymore. It’s been over thirty years on and off, Gin. Every time I think that I’ve conquered this, you come back into my life and flip everything on its head. So, I – I came here tonight with a plan.”

Ginny could only stare mutely as Blaise shifted his weight. He was clearly terrified of whatever it was that he was trying to say, but she knew instinctively that she should just let him speak.

“I was going to take you out through the gardens to the gazebo by the pond. We were going to have a picnic under the stars.” He scoffed and shook his head. “Once dinner was over, I was going to confess my true feelings; tell you that I’d loved you for almost as long as I could remember, but it never seemed the right time. With our marriages and work schedules, we were never on the same page–”

He was cut off with a grunt as Ginny stepped forward and drew him into a harsh kiss. The same kind of fire lit through her as she had experienced with one kiss they had shared that she had a clear memory of, from just after the battle. It was only stoked when his arms found their way around her waist, holding her securely.

“You love me?”

“Only you, Ginny, for a long time now.”

The smoky scent from the torches washed over them again with the breeze as she reconnected their lips. It matched the fire now burning brightly in her chest perfectly, she thought. It was a fire that she had only ever felt with Blaise, and one she now hoped to feel for a long time to come.


End file.
